The Queen of Sparta was taken from the women's quarters to King Priam's hall by two of his guards. She felt even more nervous now she was to meet the King, which she had expected, but not quite so soon.
Polyxena and Andromache had not spoken to Helen as they walked her to the women's quarters and then sat with her until the guards came. Neither of the Princesses knew what to say to the Spartan Queen and so remained silent.
Helen examined the palace of Troy, or what she saw of it now, while she was led to Priam's hall. She had never seen a palace so grand and beautiful, and was amazed.
The guards opened the doors to Priam's hall for Helen and she hesitantly walked in. She saw all the faces of people in the room suddenly turn to look at her, she even heard a few of the people gasp as she walked past them and to where Paris stood. Even though she detested being gaped at by men, she felt less sickened by the actions of these men because she felt they would never try to harm her.
King Priam's eyes wandered over Queen Helen of Sparta. He was surprised she was so beautiful and instantly believed the gossips of her being the daughter of Zeus. Before seeing Helen, Priam had decided to send Helen to Sparta, but now that he saw her he had changed his mind.
It was indeed true that Helen was the daughter of Zeus, and it was because of this that Priam decided to allow Helen to remain in Troy. He believed that no harm would come to Troy if the daughter of the greatest God was inside its walls.
"The Kings of the Aegean do not come to Troy to retrieve the wife of one of them," said Priam and he looked at Helen. "We know King Agamemnon and his brother King Menelaus wish to have Troy as their own." He looked to the Elders of Troy and they nodded and murmured in agreement. "We also know that King Agamemnon has sacrificed his daughter, Iphigenia, for the soul purpose of gaining favourable winds to Troy."
Helen gasped at Priam's words and grasped onto Paris's hand. She had loved her niece Iphigenia and felt she was partly to blame for her death. Helen then thought of her dear sister Clytemnestra and wondered how she coped with the severe loss to her heart.
"King Agamemnon is not a man of peace!" continued Priam and looked again at Helen. "And because of this we ask you, Queen Helen, to consider Troy as your home. If you accept our offer then you will henceforth be known as Helen of Troy! Do you accept?"
Helen looked to Paris and he smiled kindly to her. She stepped forward and bowed before Priam. "I accept your generous offer to me, King Priam."
Hector returned to his chamber later that night after begging his father to return Helen to her husband, but Priam would not relent on the matter. Hector slammed his chamber door behind him as he entered it, which caused Andromache to jump slightly.
Andromache had returned to their chamber once Helen had been taken to Priam. She had a severe headache and decided to rest, but found no comfort in resting while Troy was on the brink of war. She looked up to her husband now and waited for an answer as to what Priam had decided.
"My father has allowed Helen to remain in Troy," said Hector, knowing what Andromache's look asked. He sat down on the bed beside Andromache and took her hand within his own.
A moan escaped Andromache's mouth. "Does your father know what this means … does he know what will happen now?" She looked to her husband for reassurance but found none within his saddened eyes.
"He does," Hector answered, "but he believes Troy's walls can withstand any army."
"Any army?" repeated Andromache incredulously. "It is not any army; it is more than one army! It is the entire Aegean fleet!"
Hector nodded, he had repeated the same words to his father, but his father had ignored him. He turned to look at Andromache and brushed a few strands of her hair from her eyes. "I wish I could change this, I do … but I can't. My father's word is law, you know that Andromache."
Andromache nodded sadly. "I know…-,"
"Don't blame me," said Hector.
"Why would I blame you?" asked Andromache, shocked. "I could never blame you Hector."
"If I had stayed in Sparta with Paris," said Hector desperately, "or if I had sent him to Troy before me then perhaps … perhaps this would not have happened."
Andromache placed her hands on Hector's cheeks and gazed into his eyes. "Never blame yourself Hector! This is not your doing, you did not ask Paris to steal the Spartan Queen! If you wish to blame someone, then blame them!"
Hector looked at his wife for a few moments and then leaned in to kiss her.
In Paris's chamber he and Helen lay next to one another on his bed. He turned to look at Helen and smiled, he couldn't have imagined letting her return to her husband Menelaus, he would rather die than see her with him again.
"I thought I was going to be sentenced to death when your father asked for me today," Helen said, and ran her hand along Paris's bare chest, "but I was wrong. I had not imagined your father to be so kind and generous."
Paris smiled proudly. He would never be able to thank his father enough for allowing Helen to remain in Troy, but he would later wonder if it was a mistake. "Yes, my father is definitely that." He looked down to Helen and then spoke again, as if reading her thoughts. "My family are shocked with me, they do not dislike you Helen. Once they know you, they will not be able to stop from loving you."
Helen smiled, although feared Paris's words would never be true.
A cold wind blew through the balcony of Hector and Andromache's chamber. Hector awoke with a slight start and immediately rose from his bed and dressed. He soon left the chamber, leaving his wife still sleeping in their bed, and walked down to the stables.
Hector hadn't enjoyed the privilege of a long ride for almost two weeks, and wished to ride his horse before the morning meal, and before Andromache woke. He turned into the stables and jumped at the sight of Helen stroking his horse, who had stretched its neck out over the gate to its stable.
Hearing footsteps approach her, Helen immediately turned to see Hector walking up to her. Her heart rate quickly decreased and she released a sigh of relief.
"I'm sorry," said Helen and removed her hand from brushing the horse's mane, "I woke early and was eager to explore the palace. I should have asked … I'm sorry."
"You have no need to be sorry," said Hector stiffly. "Troy is your home now too."
Helen bowed her head in embarrassment; she had seen the look of dismay cross Hector's face when he heard she was to remain in Troy. "Thank you Prince Hector."
"You may call me Hector," he said.
Helen nodded.
"Have you asked Paris for a tour of the palace?" Hector asked, not attempting to hide his annoyed tone when speaking of his brother.
"No," said Helen quietly, "not yet at least."
Hector nodded, not knowing what else he could say. "Well … I was just about to go for a ride …-,"
"Yes … well I should return to my … to Paris's chamber," said Helen and quickly walked away without saying goodbye.
Andromache awoke shortly after Hector had left and was startled to not find him in their chamber. She presumed he had been called away by his father and ate breakfast by herself before calling Xanthe to help her dress and prepare her hair.
Hector soon returned to their chamber, looking quite flustered after his brief ride outside of the walls of Troy. He sat down on his bed and watched as Xanthe clipped the last strands of Andromache's hair into place, when she had finished he asked her to leave him and Andromache.
"What's wrong?" asked Andromache and turned in her chair to face Hector.
"I think you should try and be kind to Helen," said Hector, not looking into Andromache's eyes that glared angrily at him, "she could probably do with a friend."
Andromache stood up off the chair. "How can you even suggest such a thing Hector? Have you gone mad? She brings war to Troy Hector, and now you wish me to be friends with her!"
"War has not come to Troy yet," snarled Hector, "and she … she might have been persuaded to come here by Paris, you know the affect he has on women!"
"I have not brought war to Troy because of Paris, and I'm a woman!" screamed Andromache. She was silent for a few moments and then spoke again, her tone low and vicious. "Helen knew exactly what she was doing by coming to Troy, she knew what would happen. Have you heard she even left her daughter to come here, she left her daughter Hector, what sort of a woman would do that?"
"At least she had a child to leave!" snapped Hector, then immediately wished to take back the foolish words. He had been thinking about children a lot over the last few months, it crept into his dreams at night and into his thoughts during the day.
Andromache looked at Hector, tears gathering in her ocean like eyes, and then sunk back down on the chair. She couldn't believe Hector had said such a thing, or even that he had thought it. Once before, Andromache had thought Hector was desperate for children, but he had put her mind to rest on that. She had never dreamed he would blame her, because he had said he didn't, even though she blamed herself.
"I'm sorry Andromache," said Hector and walked over to his wife. "I did not mean what I said, I swear it."
Andromache pushed her husband away, and held a hand to her mouth to stifle her sobs. It's my fault, she thought, it's all my fault Hector does not have a child. What if he leaves me because I haven't given him children?
"I … I need to go for a walk," stuttered Andromache and hastily wiped away her tears. She stood up and walked over to where a pale blue shawl lay on the table and wrapped it around her shoulders.
"Please Andromache, please don't go now!" said Hector and tried to stop Andromache from leaving the chamber.
"I don't blame you for saying what you did," said Andromache and her voice quivered slightly. "But leave me now." She then quickly left the chamber.
Andromache had heard of an old woman in the poor section of the city. The woman was said to be specialized in child bearing and had potions for those that wished for children, and those that wished to kill their child while pregnant with it. For a few months Andromache had considered seeing this woman, but pushed the thought away because the potions were probably useless, but now she was desperate.
Women, especially married Princesses or Queens, were thought by many men to have been born for the sole purpose of bearing children. Kings married women so they could have heirs who would take control of their Kingdom once they had passed away. Of course, there were a few exceptions and some men did not think so lowly of women. Andromache knew though, that it was her duty to provide Troy with an heir.
For almost three years Andromache had been married to Hector and not once had she been with child, although she had thought she was once. Andromache feared that if she did not provide Troy with an heir then she would be forced to see Hector remarry another, fertile, woman who could provide him with heirs. It was common for men to remarry if their previous wife did not provide them with children. Although Andromache knew Hector would never willingly leave her, she felt frightened that he may he forced to.
Andromache quickly walked through the city and to the poor section. She did not know what house the women lived in and so asked a young girl, who appeared to not recognise her.
"She's in the house with a chair outside it," said the girl, "it's at the end of this path."
Following the girls words, Andromache walked to the end of the path and saw a house with a wooden chair outside it. She gently rapped on the door, inwardly feeling sick and nervous.
Almost immediately, the door was opened and revealed an old woman with streaks of grey running through her dark brown hair. Her face was lightly wrinkled and tanned, and she didn't appear to be older than fifty.
"Come in," she said and opened the door wide enough for Andromache to enter.
A stench of rotten vegetables and herbs overwhelmed Andromache as she stepped into the house. It was incredibly dark and only a few torches were lit inside it. The woman pointed to a chair beside a table with an old cloth covering it, and Andromache sat in it.
"Why do you come to me?" asked the woman and sat down in a chair opposite Andromache on the other side of the table.
"I err … I wished to …," Andromache stuttered, her nerves overcoming her words, "I wish to have a child." She gained more courage and spoke again as the woman began to study her. "I have been married for almost three years and I still have had no children."
"Have you ever lost a child before it was due?" asked the woman and continued to watch Andromache carefully.
"No … I've never even been with child," said Andromache and lowered her head.
"But you want to be now," said the woman, but it was no question. She stood up and walked over to another small table behind her. On top of the table stood masses of different sized potion bottles, she picked one of them up and examined its contents before placing it on the table Andromache rested her hands on, and then returned to her chair.
"This potion may help you," said the woman quietly, "but it may not. Sometimes my potions do not work, even I will admit that." She sighed and then proceeded. "If you wish to be with child then take this and drink it after you have made love with your husband, and before you sleep tonight. You may experience some nausea and dizziness, but that should only last for a few days."
Andromache nodded.
"I would not suggest you take this though," continued the woman. "You know as well as me, Princess Andromache, that the Gods control us and they may not have chosen this to be the time for you to have children."
Andromache's eyes widened, she thought the woman had not recognised her. She immediately stood up; she couldn't be seen in a place like this, especially if someone knew who she was. "I'm sorry for taking your time."
"You will have a child one day Andromache," said the woman and rose to her feet also. She stepped nearer to the Princess and smiled kindly. "I will not speak of you coming here to anyone."
"Thank you," said Andromache and smiled sadly, she didn't even care that the woman had not addressed her properly. She then left the women's house and slowly returned to the palace.
It was true that Andromache would have a child, and he would be healthy and strong. But that child would be ripped from her bosom in years to come, when fire and blood had rushed through Troy and the palace had burned to the ground. She would have a child, but lose him and lose everything that she loved.
A/N: This is quite a long chapter and almost all of the remaining chapters of this story will be around this length also. Also, in this there will never be anything between Helen and Hector.
Thank you for all the reviews so far and please keep reviewing if you read this because it really spurs me on to write more :)
Queen Arwen – I'm sorry but Helen will be remaining in Troy, even though shooting her with flaming arrows is a good idea ;) I'm really glad you got into the last chapter and thanks for the review!
Donna Lynn – You're right about Priam being a fool, I think of him to have been one. Nothing much will happen to Cassandra now, although some things may happen to her closer to the end. Thank you for reviewing :)
Priestess of the Myrmidon – I'm glad you like the fast updates, I plan to update twice a week from now on. I'm really glad you like this and that you've added it to your favourites, thank you and thank you for the review :)